This proceedings volume contains a collection of 34 papers from the following symposia held during the 2015 Materials Science and Technology (MS&T 15) meeting: Innovative Processing and Synthesis of Ceramics, Glasses and Composites Advances in Ceramic Matrix Composites Advanced Materials for Harsh Environments Advances in Dielectric Materials and Electronic Devices Controlled Synthesis, Processing, and Applications of Structure and Functional Nanomaterials Processing and Performance of Materials Using Microwaves, Electric and Magnetic Fields, Ultrasound, Lasers, and Mechanical Work, Rustum Roy Memorial Symposium Sintering and Related Powder Processing Science and Technologies Surface Protection for Enhanced Materials Performance: Science, Technology, and Application Thermal Protection Materials and Systems Ceramic Optical Materials Alumina at the Forefront of Technology